Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party has officially invited the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the upcoming municipal elections.
Kobakhidze’s last minute announcement on Saturday followed repeated denials by his party that the OSCE would be invited to observe the controversial vote.
In June, Kobakhidze said observers from the OSCE/ODIHR would not be invited, claiming it was ‘not standard practice’ to invite the OSCE/ODIHR to observe local elections.
‘The local self-government elections will be held in a healthy and proper manner’, Kobakhidze said in June. ‘Therefore, we believe that, in this case, it would be excessive to burden OSCE/ODIHR with our local elections’, he added.
On Saturday, Kobakhidze appeared to cite his expectation that the elections would take place in a ‘competitive environment’ as being behind the invitation.
‘We saw that two parties are taking place in elections, and they managed to nominate mayoral candidates in more than half [of precincts], so overall, the elections will take place in a competitive environment’, he said, in an apparent reference to opposition groups Lelo and For Georgia’s expected participation in the elections.
The OSCE previously told Civil.ge that they generally receive invitations to observe elections four to six months ahead of the voting.
‘It is important to understand that we need time to carry out the full range of activities required for an election observation in line with our well-established methodology, which is based on long-term, impartial, comprehensive, and professional observation’, a spokesperson for the organisation told Civil.ge.
Asked if the invitation was late, Kobakhidze said that the organisation has ‘all the necessary time’ to staff its observation mission four weeks ahead of the elections.
During the announcement, Kobakhidze claimed that the OSCE/ODIHR had come under Georgian opposition criticism for their report on the October 2024 parliamentary elections.
‘We hope that despite repeated insults and pressure, the OSCE/ODIHR will not hesitate to send an observation mission to Georgia. The Georgian government confirms its full readiness to create all conditions for the OSCE/ODIHR mission to fully observe the elections, as is tradition’, said Kobakhidze according to IPN.
The organisation’s observation mission during the parliamentary elections noted that concerns regarding the impact of legislation adopted by Georgian Dream on fundamental freedoms and civil society, steps to reduce the independence of institutions involved in the electoral process, and pressure on voters, ‘limited the ability of some voters to vote without fear of retribution’.
‘Procedurally, election day was generally orderly administered but marked by a tense atmosphere and widespread intimidation of voters, as well as of citizen observers’, the report said.
Georgia’s local elections are scheduled to take place on 4 October amidst a widespread opposition boycott, with most groups viewing participation as legitimising the Georgian Dream government, which the opposition has refused to recognise since the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections, which were marred by major violations.
Only two opposition groups, Lelo — Strong Georgia and For Georgia, will take part in the elections.
On 5 September, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned the co-leaders of Lelo, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, almost three months after they were jailed for failing to appear before a parliamentary commission created to investigate the opposition. Following his release, Khazaradze described the move as an attempt to discredit his party in the eyes of the opposition.
For Georgia’s leader Giorgi Gakharia, who previously served as a Georgian Dream prime minister, is effectively in-exile, having been based in Germany for at least a few months following the creation of the parliamentary commission. Gakharia is also the only opposition leader to have heeded the commission’s summons, having attended at least two of its sessions — albeit remotely in at least one instance.
In mid-August, For Georgia and Lelo — Strong Georgia named Lelo’s Secretary General, Irakli Kupradze, as their joint candidate for Tbilisi mayor to run against incumbent Kakha Kaladze, a popular figure in Georgian politics who is running for a third term.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
